Grafting pear on to quince roots for dwarfing

Not all cultivars or pear are compatible with quince!

Incompatible cultivars can be joined with an interstock section from the compatible list. Until 2021 I had always grafted one one union per season, taking 2 seasons to complete the quince rootstock to compatible to incompatible final pear combination. I have since heard of and tried doing both the joins at the same time.

 

* indicates varieties in the blockhill forest collection

Pear cultivars compatible with quince

Abbe Fetel (Abate Fetel)
Alexandrine Douillard
Ananas de Courtrais
Aurora
* Bartlett / Williams' bon Chretien (French and Swiss compatible only)
Bloodgood
Beirschmitt
Belle Guerandaise
Beth
Beurre Alexandre Lucas
Beurre Anjou
Beurre Capiaumont
Beurre d'Amalis
Beurre Diel
Beurre Dubuisson
Beurre Gifford
* Beurre Hardy (have had good success with this)
Beurre Superfin
Butira Precoce Morettini
California
Clara Frijs
Colette
Concorde
* Conference
Dabney
Dawn
Devoe
* Doyenne du Comice
Doyenne Gris Dr.
Desportes
Duchesse Bronzee
Duchess d'Angouleme
Durondeau
Early Seckel
Easter Beurre (Doyenne d'Hiver)
Emile d'Heyst
Fique d'Alencon
Flemish Beauty
Fondante d'Automne (Seigneur)
Fondante de Moulins-Lille
General Leclerc
Glou Morceau (Beurre d'Hardenpont)
Gorham
Grand Champion
Graf von Moltke
Harrow Delight (HW603)
Harvest Queen (HW602)
Highland
Howell
Jeanne d'Arc
Josephine de Malines
Kieffer
Laxton's Superb
* Louise Bonne de Jersey
Louis Pasteur
Magness
Maxine (Stark's Delicious)
Old Home
Olivier de Serres
Onward
Passe Crassane
Pierre Corneille
Rogue Red
Santa Claus
St. Andre
Sierra
Sirrine
Sucree de Montlucon
Thompson's
Tyson
Urbaniste
Vicar of Winkfield (Cure)
White Doyenne
Warren

Pear cultivars incompatible with quince

Bartlett, including sports / mutations
Belle Lucrative
Beurre d'Arenberg
Beurre Bosc
Beurre Clairgeau
Beurre Flon
Beurre Gris d'Hiver Nouveau
Beurre Six Bristol Cross
Cayuga Chaplin
Clapps Favorite (* Starks Crimson)
Comte de Lamy
Dana Hovey
Doyenne d'Ete Dr. Jules Guyot
Duchess de Brodeaux
El Dorado
Epine de Mas (Duc de Bordeaux)
Ewart
Forelle
Honeysweet
Jargonelle
Laurence
Laxton's Progress
Leaxton's Early Market
Lemon
Madame Treyve
Marie Louise
Marguerite
Marillat
Merton Pride
Michaelmas
Nellis
Moonglow
Olivier de Serres
* Packham's Triumph
Passe Colmar
President Heron
Seckel
Sheldon
Roi Charles de Wurtemberg (RCW)
Waite
Winter Nellis
* Worden Seckel




Quince root stock for grafting dwarf pear and loquat

Quince root stock for grafting dwarf pear and loquat

Botanical name   Cydonia oblonga
Details   Quinces are used as a root stock for producing dwarf pears, loquat and other quinces.

Root stocks can be created from root suckers, stool bed or seeds from overripe fruit planted in late autumn.
Flowers   White
Forest layer   low-tree
Fruit / berries  
Propagation method   Cutting
Tags     graft  dwarf  fruit tree  pear 
Benefits  
  • The primary benefits are smaller trees that fruit sooner
Negatives  
  • Many cultivars of pear are not directly compatible with quince and require double grafting with a compatible interstock
  • Pears grafted on quince have shorter lifespan than on seedling grown root stocks
  • Quince trees are prone to suckering, sending up growth from around the base of the tree and near damaged roots. These can be used as rootstocks.

 Related

Pear - Beurre Hardy QC

Details   Medium to large, yellow with cinnamon russet. Smooth, melting, buttery and very juicy. Rich aromatic flavour. Vigorous, healthy tree, quite hardy. Regular heavy crops in a warm location.

Used as grafting interstem on quince roots
Common name   Pear - Beurre Hardy QC
Botanical name   Pyrus communis sativa
Family   Rosaceae
Height (m)   4.0
Edible  
Drought tolerance  
Date   August 06, 2013
Shade / Sun   Semi shade, Full sun
Soil type   Moist
Related info

Rootstock compatibility for different types of tree

Scions of desirable species must be grafted onto a suitable, compatible root system or ultimately the graft with be rejected by the host tree.
The roots determine to size, growth rate and suitable soil conditions for the tree while the scion controls the flowers and fruit type and timing.
Most are only self compatible and so apple must be grafted to apple but as usual there are exceptions such as almonds onto peach.
  grafting 
Olmec Sinclair
Learn more about Grafting Compatibility
Pear - Beurre Hardy scion / bud wood

Pear - Beurre Hardy scion / bud wood

Botanical name   Pyrus
Rootstock   Quince (dwarfing), Pear
Details   Medium to large, yellow with cinnamon russet. Smooth, melting, buttery and very juicy. Rich aromatic flavour. Vigorous, healthy tree, quite hardy. Regular heavy crops in a warm location.

Beurre Hardy is in flowering group 4 and is not self-fertile so needs a pollination partner of a different variety nearby. Pollinate with Clapp's Favorite, Conference, Nashi Hosui, Williams' bon chrétien

One of the few pear cultivars compatible with quince rootstock and therefore suitable for creating dwarf pear trees.
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Tags     pear  scion 
Related info Out of stock
Grafting Loquat

Grafting Loquat

Details   After several seasons of failure with established, outdoor trees I refined my technique.
Finally I can report on my successful attempts at grafting improved varieties of loquat onto seedling grown trees, both indoors in pots as well as outdoor trees up to 12 years old.

The summary:
  • Switched from whip and tongue to cleft technique for the graft union
  • Covered entire scion with buddy tape
  • On outdoor grafts enclose in plastic bread bag for several weeks
Date   April 22, 2024
Tags     grafting  loquat 
Olmec Sinclair
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graft  dwarf  fruit tree  pear